Spanish for Foreigners

Course for foreigners and aimed at strengthening communication skills in Spanish as a foreign language through social and cultural activities. The methodology used is the communicative approach that allows the development of the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through activities in real context with special emphasis on the cultural component and fluency.

Objective

Strengthen communication skills in Spanish at students, teachers and foreign professionals through social and cultural activities.

Addressed

Students and foreign professionals.

About our University

Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga is a non-profit private university devoted to the provision of higher education in Colombia. It is the first private institution of Northeastern Colombia that has been awarded High Quality Accreditation by the Colombian Ministry of National Education according to the Resolution 16515 dated December 14th, 2012.

At UNAB, we believe that learning a language is a pleasant and gratifying experience. We provide the appropriate program to suit your individual needs.

Our Intensive Spanish Language Program is one of the few programs offered by UNAB focusing on the Colombian culture. This program is addressed to students who wish to learn Spanish as a second language. Our program offers students an excellent opportunity to learn about Colombian life while exploring the Spanish language, culture, and civilization with students from all over the world. Our teachers are highly qualified and have developed this intensive program with several levels of competence.

In addition, our students have the opportunity to participate in the events held in our campus and enroll in interesting elective courses that contribute to the improvement of the individual student’s performance.

Program

The Spanish language has increasingly gained importance and is considered the third most widely spoken language after Mandarin and English. Regarding the number of native speakers, Spanish is ranked as the second most important language in the world based on the fact that it is spoken in over 20 countries. If you speak Spanish, 500 million people can understand what you say and interact with you. As an added value, you can have access to work and business opportunities at an international level with the consequent increase in your earnings. Furthermore, speaking Spanish also helps develop cultural enrichment through the approach you make to the Hispanic culture.

Learning Spanish as a foreign language at our university represents the opportunity of not only counting on the vast educational experience of our teachers but also the possibility of learning about the Colombian culture and lifestyle while you interact with students from other parts of the world. You will receive a warm welcome from the sociable, good-spirited people of Bucaramanga who will be willing to offer you friendship to make you feel at home.

Courses are taught either individually or to small groups. The courses are designed to focus on communication as the main objective, ensuring that each student receives special and customized attention. Regardless of whether classes are taught individually or in small groups, you will notice that your Spanish will improve quickly due to the vast experience of our teaching staff. The course activities include field trips where you can enjoy the advantages of immersing into the language to gain efficient progress in your language learning skills.

Courses

The full program of Spanish for Foreigners includes six levels comprising twenty courses in total. However, students must take an entrance test in order to enroll in the appropriate course. The duration of each course is 40 hours.

Levels and competencies are defined based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​- CEFR .

LEVELS

COURSES

COMPETENCIES

EspañolA1

A1.1A1.2

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Español A2

A2.1A2.2

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Español B1

B1.1B1.2B1.3B1.4

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and brieﬂy give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

EspañolB2

B2.1B2.2B2.3B2.4

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her ﬁeld of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of ﬂuency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

EspañolC1

C1.1C1.2C1.3C1.4

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express him/herself ﬂuently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language ﬂexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

Español C2

C2.1C2.2C2.3C2.4

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very ﬂuently and precisely, differentiating ﬁner shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

Services

Classes shall be imparted at the Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga campus where the students shall have access to all the university premises and services, such as:

CSU – University Service Center

Library

Sport courts

Wi-Fi

Cafeterias

Nurse services

Internal transportation

Gym

Cultural and sports activities

Visiting shopping centres

Visiting UNAB campus

Walking in ‘Parque la Flora’

Visiting the central farmer’s market

Visiting historical sites

Visiting museums

Visiting the Botanical Garden, the Bird House, and ‘Parque del Agua’

Practising extreme sports – paragliding, canoeing, rafting, rappel

Visiting the nearby caves

Visiting the nearby colonial towns and villages

Visiting ‘Parque Nacional del Chicamocha’

Dance and aerobics classes

Attending concerts

Going out at night – Night Rumba

Generalities

Schedules

UNAB offers Schedule flexibility in order for students to adjust classes to their own activities and needs.Schedules are defined prior to your arrival to Colombia, based on the availability of teachers, classrooms, and students.

Accommodation

Although Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga does not offer any accommodation, the International Relations Office shall provide you with guidance in searching for a suitable place according to your budget.

Course fees

40-hour courses

Private tuition: COP $2.625.000

Groups of two to six students: COP $1.400.000

Groups of more than six students: COP$1,000,000

This cost does not cover sports, tourism and cultural activities. The schedule is defined based on the needs of the student.

Requirements

Photocopy of the Internacional Insurance Policy (the corresponding document can be submitted upon your arrival to Colombia)

Send these documents to jarguell@unab.edu.co

Admission Test (Skype - test)

The student interested in sitting this test must sit a Spanish institutional test whose result shall serve as the foundation to allocate the student in a certain level of the European Framework of Reference for Languages.The Skype interview date shall be defined by both the teacher and the interested student.

VisasStudent Visa The Students enrolling a course in our University whose length surpasses 12 weeks (3 months) or requiring a tourist visa to visit Colombia must apply for a student visa at the nearest Colombian consulate or embassy or at the Colombian Ministry of External Relations in Colombia. We strongly recommend you to get your visa before your arrival to Colombia. Students must print our Letter of Acceptance and the Certificate of Legal Existence and Representation of the University and enclose these documents to the visa application.

Temporary Visitor SealThe students undertaking a Spanish language course in our university for a term less than 12 weeks who do not require a tourist visa for visiting Colombia (see the list below) must request a Temporary Visitor Seal (TV). In this case, please show the Letter of Acceptance to any immigration official at the port of arrival to Colombia who will proceed to stamp the corresponding seal.

Note: If a student is in Colombia under a Tourist seal (TU) and decides to enroll a Spanish Language course in our university, he/she must apply for the change of status to Temporary Visitor at any Immigration office in Colombia.

Testimonies

Max Counter from the United States of America: “I came to Bucaramanga as part of the Fullbright Exchange program.I stayed in Bucaramanga for 10 months between 2010 and 2011. I enrolled teacher Dilma’s class of Spanish for foreigners.Although I spoke Spanish before coming to Colombia, my teacher Dilma helped me out to become proficient in the language including the Colombian idioms.The most helpful strategy for me is the encouragement I received from my teacher to to talk about my experience and travel in Colombia. I could describe the country and, at the same time, I learned a lot from my own experience.Upon the completion of the course, I felt confident about my Spanish and I could communicate using words and expressions I did not have.

My name is Jérémie Philippe Lorrain. I am from France and I stayed in Colombia from the Second Term of 2011 to the First Term of 2012. I came from Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier University and I stayed 1 year in the city of Bucaramanga.The methodology applied by my Spanish teacher in the course was good because I have discovered the most important aspects of Colombia (typical food, people, landscapes etc.).- I really liked the course because the teacher was patient and very good. The only thing I would like to add to the course is a little bit more emphasis in Business Spanish (regarding the Business Administration degree). I feel I learned because i speak like a Colombian and I can manage the Spanish language with more fluency. I have been able to use what I learned in my daily life and I am now able to keep a conversation at professional and personal levels with efficiency.

Tourist information

Bucaramanga is known as the “Pretty City of Colombia” or the “City of Parks”. It is the capital city of the Colombian Regional Department of Santander and its metropolitan area comprises three municipalities: Floridablanca, Piedecuesta and Girón.

The limits of the city of Bucaramanga are: South, the spectacular Chicamocha Canyon; East: the Berlin Moorlands; West: the Municipality of Lebrija. The city is surrounded by a huge reserve of forests, rivers, and breathtaking mountains. It is located 960 meters above the sea level and enjoys an average temperature of 22 degrees centigrade. The city has a population of 1,625,000 inhabitants and is located 373 kilometers drive from Bogotá or 55 minutes flight.

The Colombian Regional Department of Santander is the focus of extreme sports in Colombia. The center of practice for this kind of sports is the Municipality of San Gil located two hours drive from Bucaramanga by an easy-access road.

Santander Cuisine is known as one of the most elaborate in Colombian. The traditional dish in this region is Mute, a corn soup with a mixture of typical ingredients and seeds.

The base for the dish known as Pepitoria is the goat or sheep goat with several recipes. The Carne Oreada (air-dried beef) is another specialty of this region, together with the Pichon soup and the famous Culona ants. Other typical food worth highlighting is our sweets made of white carrot (arracacha), lemon, cider, rice, pineapple, and the well-known guava paste from Velez with international reputation.